IT has surpassed every expectation I ever had for him, both in college and now in the league. 27 and still getting better. Dude's work ethic has to be off the charts.
"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.
"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.
I don't want to be one of those NBA truthers, but I'm positive that the players thirty to forty years ago were more graceful and skilled than players now. Guys like Pistol Pete, Elgin, Kareem, etc may not have been able to jump out of the gym like the Russell Westbrook's or shoot like the Stephen Curry's of today, but they looked damn smooth playing the game.
I don't want to be one of those NBA truthers, but I'm positive that the players thirty to forty years ago were more graceful and skilled than players now. Guys like Pistol Pete, Elgin, Kareem, etc may not have been able to jump out of the gym like the Russell Westbrook's or shoot like the Stephen Curry's of today, but they looked damn smooth playing the game.
The game has evolved. Not good or bad - just different. Strength training and nutrition has changed the athletes physical abilities - you can't tell me David Thompson or Dr. J wouldn't be the equivalent of Russell Westbrook or Lebron with added strength training. Those motherfuckers could jump out of the gym. Dudes like Bird could stroke it just as well as Curry but the conventional thinking was geared toward 3 point shooting - the game was based on passing and getting the ball closer to the hoop.
These days kids spend so much time playing in tournaments year round, they don't spend the time drilling and doing the fundamental work of the old school players. Their 'drills' are games. And their fundamental work is with private instructors/coaches who focus on individual skills rather than team-oriented activities. It used to be maybe 5 practices for every game, now it's more like 1 practice (at least during AAU season for high school guys) and 5 or 6 games.
I do think passing is relatively lost art. It's all dribble-drive-kick-for-threes stuff these days. Mid-range doesn't exist anymore at all. I don't think it's any coincidence the Spurs are heavy on foreign players and have a long history of success - their style encourages motion both strong and weakside which is almost entirely different than the way the rest of the NBA plays.
Officiating also plays a part. In the old days, hard fouls were pretty common so you had to be a little sneakier or able to put the pass on a dime to score. Or, alternatively, you just ran like hell and pushed pace to beat the thugs downcourt. Today, so many touch fouls are called that a premium is put on being able to turn the corner and drive to the rim. You're going to get a call pretty much no matter what.
I personally prefer the old/current foreign-based style.
Comments
"lol"
Isaiah 54:17
Allah Akbar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy9XptRhHcM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SayMvB86OPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHmgWeY7heM
Last one is the best.
These days kids spend so much time playing in tournaments year round, they don't spend the time drilling and doing the fundamental work of the old school players. Their 'drills' are games. And their fundamental work is with private instructors/coaches who focus on individual skills rather than team-oriented activities. It used to be maybe 5 practices for every game, now it's more like 1 practice (at least during AAU season for high school guys) and 5 or 6 games.
I do think passing is relatively lost art. It's all dribble-drive-kick-for-threes stuff these days. Mid-range doesn't exist anymore at all. I don't think it's any coincidence the Spurs are heavy on foreign players and have a long history of success - their style encourages motion both strong and weakside which is almost entirely different than the way the rest of the NBA plays.
Officiating also plays a part. In the old days, hard fouls were pretty common so you had to be a little sneakier or able to put the pass on a dime to score. Or, alternatively, you just ran like hell and pushed pace to beat the thugs downcourt. Today, so many touch fouls are called that a premium is put on being able to turn the corner and drive to the rim. You're going to get a call pretty much no matter what.
I personally prefer the old/current foreign-based style.
Oh....and get off my lawn!